Livin' the dream with hakuna matata!

Monthly Archives: February 2014

I was at a funeral a few days ago and a lady in our church starts introducing my brothers and I to her son. They introduce one of my brothers saying he’s a great singer and my other brother saying he also sings and teaches guitar. Then she looks at me and says, “…………” *crickets* I reply,
“yup, pa-retty exciting”

Then she proceeds to tell her son all about how I brought my knitting to church one time and just knitted away.

Each time I go skiing it’s like I immediately forget all the skiing trips I’ve been on in the past, I forget all the face plants, slope rolls, and near death experiences. I forget that the bunny slope is my best friend and I decide to go to the top of the mountain. When I roll 3/4 of the way down the mountain on my face I realize that I should’ve taken a few more turns with my best friend before attempting this. I see children skiing with perfect form, gliding down black diamonds, while I’m here kissing the ground, with my forehead, on the deck of the ski lodge. I hate those children.

I see them and I say to those passing me,

“leave me here to die.”

So although skiing upright is not my forte…I’m a pro at sliding into the perfect face roll.

I feel like the past was just perfect, like there was no problems, no wars, no gays kissing on the street, no worry that you might be counted for an idiot if you defend you religion. I know this wasn’t always the case but when you see pictures from that time, you have to think that that time was the true golden age.

(prepare for lots of pictures)

When these girls lived the world had to have been a whole lot cuter..

The best age of family portraits,

The days when what came on the big screen was actually quality,

The days when these guys had more swag than the gangstas now could ever hope to possess,

People ask me a lot what it was like to grow up with tons of siblings. Well, this pretty much sums it up.

However, I couldn’t have imagined my childhood any other way.

My siblings have taught me a ton, everything from,” Don’t eat the yellow snow,” to “2+2=5” They’ve been patient with me through some of my least precious years and encouraged me in whatever pursuit I was interested in. Sometimes I have to wonder what it would be like to be an only child and I can only imagine that it’s very lonely. Each and every one of my siblings has made an impact in my life in huge ways. So as a sort of tribute to them I’d like to share some of the things they’ve taught me.

For Micah:

< I have kept this nice and tiny so that so one will witness the “cow got run over by a semi” attractiveness displayed on my face.

Micah, you have taught me that no matter what the circumstance, you should always put others before yourself. I don’t think you were consciously teaching me this but through the years your actions have always pointed me in that direction. I think I’ve said this before, but I know that if I ever was in some kind of trouble you would do whatever you could to help me, and I can’t tell you how much that means.

For Caleb:

< I could find a picture of us, but this fun family will do.

Caleb, you’ve taught me to not be afraid to worship God with my whole heart and also to not put any thought to what people think of you. Rather, to love God and search out what he has planned for your life. I know you’ve probably had to work through some stuff, but through your example I’ve been able to see God working in every detail, and I can’t help but think of how pleased He is with you…I know I am super proud to call you my brother!

For Hannah:

Hannah, there is SO much that you have taught me over the past few years so I’ll just sum it up: When I grow up I wanna be just like you. Soooo is there really anything else to say? 😀 I love ya chica!

For Luke:

<when we were both lil babies (meaning like two years ago)

Luke, this will probably sound super duper cliche, but you’ve taught me to not be afraid to go after my dreams. When you went off to college to pursue acting I’m not sure that many people really expected that. But when you frankly became a boss at the whole theater thing I was and am really proud! I know you might not be positive for what lies next but I have no doubt that you’ll be incredible! 😀

For Jesse:

<again, couldn’t find a picture but these guys look some kool kidz.

Jesse, you’ve taught me to find the humor in everything. From music to Helen Keller. But besides that, you’ve also taught me to be excellent in whatever I’m pursuing. What you’ve done with music the past few year especially has been amazing and I’m really looking forward to whatever God has in store next!

To Judah:

Judah, well you were the brother that locked me in a dog cage in the basement, but I’m sure I paid you back the next day. 🙂 You’ve taught me to be an encouragement to everyone I meet. And while I’m not very good at it, you have been a great example, I can’t tell you what it’s meant for you to be at my soccer games or to give me tips for how to become my character on stage. It’s been a lil rough journey but I’m really happy to call you a friend, something I probably would’ve never imagined possible! 🙂

Maybe this makes me the dweebiest of homeschoolers, but my siblings are my best friends.